Smoking while Pregnant can have Potentially Lethal Effects on Your Child
Smokers know the health risks especially during pregnancy. You may not realize it but there are many problems that go right down the line including adverse effects during birth and even after. The ideal time to quit is immediately after you've found out you are pregnant but we do realize many won't which is unfortunate. But you and your baby will both benefit tremendously if you can manage to quit at any time while you are pregnant. You will have much easier time succeeding with a good support team. Smoking during pregnancy poses some very real risks and we will talk about those risks here.
Along with carbon monoxide and nicotine, when you smoke while pregnant you will be passing along the tar found in cigarettes, too. Yes, even the tar will affect the baby you are carrying. You might not realize that your second hand smoke will damage your baby's lungs in some harsh ways. Complications are likely when lung damage has been caused. You probably didn't realize that all of those chemicals in your baby's blood stream from your smoking can cause the oxygen to be displaced or bound in some reactions. Your baby needs oxygen to live and develop properly. We have mentioned in other places that the baby whose mother smoked while pregnant can have seriously compromised lung functions. Lung related issues such as asthma and a greater tendency for pneumonia is more likely in children whose mothers smoke while pregnant. There is also a heightened risk for developing bronchitis plus other chronic respiratory symptoms. Keep in mind that these problems also involve your child's immune system. Because of this, the child is more susceptible to infection.
A significant number of low birth weight babies are blamed on the mothers addiction to nicotine during pregnancy there are many additional risks too. Low birth weight plus premature birth carry potential for associated high risks. Just some of the additional risks include mental retardation, learning disabilities, and cerebral palsy. Smoking while pregnant has been shown to contribute to the enormous amount of sudden death cases in infants.
This should be cause for concern to a woman who smokes during pregnancy.
The highly negative effects on her baby are enormous and incompletely understood. This article has focused mainly on the effects on the unborn baby but these same effects don't go away after birth. These far reaching consequences can stay with the child far into adulthood. Your child could have to deal with the dire consequences of you smoking while pregnant for their entire life. This is why it is so important to quit smoking when you're pregnant, for the sake of both mother and child.